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New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has been accused of orchestrating the decision to remove Macklemore from Ed Sheeran's nationwide tour, after the rapper sparked major backlash with a 'Free Palestine' speech while on stage.
On Monday, it was confirmed that the 43-year-old, whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, will not go on with the show after several major US venues notified tour promoters they would not allow the rapper to perform.
The enormity of the venue bans could have forced an entire tour cancellation impacting thousands of fans. So, as a result, Macklemore was removed.
However, shortly after the decision, the 'Thrift Shop' hitmaker took to Instagram to break his silence on the matter and claimed that Kraft - who is an observant Orthodox Jew - was the one who put forward the ultimatum to other stadium owners.
In a lengthy Instagram post, Macklemore said: 'Ed is my friend. I've known him for 13 years. I told Ed multiple times on the phone, our friendship can't change my responsibility to tell the truth about what happened [in Gaza].
'Ed told me that Robert Kraft called him. We were scheduled to play Gillette Stadium later this month, which is owned by the Kraft Group. Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium.
Macklemore has been dropped from the remainder of Ed Sheeran's LOOP Tour after sparking major backlash with his 'Free Palestine' speech earlier this month
The rapper claimed that Robert Kraft orchestrated the decision to remove him from the tour
Macklemore made the allegations against Kraft in a lengthy Instagram post on Monday
'Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.'
The rapper continued: 'I hope this isn't the end of my relationship with Ed. Thirteen years of friendship doesn't disappear because of one painful disagreement.
'I hope we both continue listening, studying what is happening in Palestine and wrestling with what neutrality means in a moment like this. My door will always be open to continuing that conversation.'
The drama started when Macklemore used his opening set to chant 'Free Palestine' and deliver a politically motivated speech.
Macklemore, whose words were slammed by Pink, stated that every human being deserves the same freedom, and told the crowd he wanted people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to know they had not been forgotten.
He then performed his protest song Hind's Hall while images of the devastation in Gaza were projected on the big screens at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Macklemore also faced a boycott petition calling for his removal from Sheeran's tour for the blunt and direct language he used onstage.
He was the opening act for Sheeran's Loop tour on two consecutive nights, September 4 and September 5, at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium.
Macklemore also faced a boycott petition calling for his removal from Sheeran's tour for the blunt and direct language he used onstage. Above, Sheeran and Macklemore in 2013 at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York City
According to Macklemore: 'Kraft rallied some of the other stadium owners and they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.'
Macklemore has also previously voiced support for Palestinians and called out Israel's conduct in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and has continued doing so for years.
As seen in fan-taken footage, he wore a keffiyeh at one point during his set.
During his performance, he said he had a message to share with the Palestinian people and wanted them to know 'they have not been forgotten.'
He said: 'One of the reasons why I wanted to come on this tour was because I wanted to stand up here on stages in stadiums across America and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine. I said, Free Palestine!
'I want those words to be loud and clear so that people from Gaza, all the way to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten them.'
Elsewhere in his statement, Macklemore claimed that Sheeran informed him that the phrase 'Free Palestine' was 'hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with'.
The rapper continued: 'Ed was in a f***ed up position. He knew it. His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before.
'He told me that the words 'Free Palestine' and the image of the Palestinian flag were hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with. I told him that if those words were more offensive than tens of thousands of Palestinian children being killed by Israel, then there was a fundamental disconnect between where those people stood and where I stood. But he couldn't get past his public facing, 'I don't take sides.''
The rapper claimed Sheeran said 'Free Palestine' was a 'hurtful' phrase to 'a lot of people'
Pink reposted an Instagram Story from StopAntisemitism, which slammed Macklemore's performance and demanded an apology to the concertgoers
Meanwhile, Pink weighed in on Macklemore's recent controversy, amid calls from fans for the rapper to be removed from the tour.
The singer, 47, reposted an Instagram Story from StopAntisemitism, which slammed Macklemore's performance.
The caption on the post read: 'Awful - Jewish fans bought tickets to see Ed Sheeran sing last night in NJ, not to be ambushed by Macklemore's anti-Israel propaganda.
'Instead, Macklemore walked onstage in a keffiyeh, shouted "Free Palestine," accused Israel of a false "genocide," and turned a mainstream event into a political nightmare against the Jewish state. Concert goers are owed apologies and refunds.'
Macklemore's allegation against Kraft come just days after it was revealed that the Patriots chief had donated $10million to Brandeis University to put towards the creation of the 'Robert K. Kraft Family Center for Jewish Life and Leadership'.
Meanwhile, back in 2022, the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS) - which was founded by Kraft - sponsored an advertisement encouraging people to denounce hate against Jewish people.
The ad was played during NFL games and was titled: 'Stand Up to Jewish Hate'.
Kraft invested a further $25million into the campaign, which officially launched through his foundation in March 2023.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Macklemore's representatives and the New England Patriots for comment.
